On January 30, the production house held a morning press conference for the film Mai. As expected, the film is rated 18+ due to its mature themes, explicit scenes, and various dramatic elements.
Unlike The House of Lady, Trấn Thành approaches the Tet screening film from a romantic perspective, yet delves into stories that reflect social issues related to massage therapy…
In the film, the main characters are Tuấn Trần and Phương Anh Đào, who have several bold intimate scenes. The theme of adult relationships is a prominent aspect throughout the film, heightening emotional intensity and tension.
Since this is a morning press conference, Trấn Thành hopes that the media will not reveal too much about the film’s content. The male lead only responds to questions regarding the explicit content, working with Tuấn Trần and Phương Anh Đào.
“Adult themes bring genuine character depth”
In Mai, the adult themes primarily focus on the main character’s personal struggles. The massage workers compete with each other for customers, creating a tense atmosphere.
After the Tet holiday in 2023, The House of Lady by Trấn Thành received numerous suggestions regarding its character portrayal. This year, the male lead continues to express adult themes in the film, leading to various discussions.
Trấn Thành believes that audiences may find the film’s characters relatable due to their struggles. “If we view films more openly, we will feel that the stories are not merely superficial. Outside of dialogue, there may still be underlying themes of life, culture, and humanity,” the male lead states.
He acknowledges that audiences have difficulty comprehending films with complex characters, especially when they do not deliver typical dialogue. The representation must resonate with real-life experiences.
“To me, adult themes serve to deepen the character’s authenticity. Authenticity must convey real values,” he adds.
In the film, the character Mai exudes confidence and strong resistance against manipulative male characters. Trấn Thành believes that the character of Mai is a reflection of how women often respond to societal pressures.
“Everyone in life faces pressures and may feel the desire to vent onto others due to overwhelming experiences. I hope the audience experiences empathy for Mai,” he shares.
Trấn Thành mentioned that initially, he did not intend to participate in Mai. However, the production team “pressured” him to take on the role. In the film, he portrays the character of the female lead.
“The production crew said I was also their actor, and the audience might recognize many stars who did not play any roles? Initially, the role I was supposed to play was meant for People’s Artist Việt Anh. But after reconsidering, I took on this role and then assigned Việt Anh the role of the male lead’s counterpart,” he further explains.
The dynamic performance of Tuấn Trần and Phương Anh Đào
As the trailer reveals, Tuấn Trần and Phương Anh Đào portray romantic interests in the film Mai. Their relationship faces numerous challenges, given that the female lead is older than the male character named Dương, who is only 7 years old and works as a massage therapist.
The chemistry between Tuấn Trần and Phương Anh Đào is noteworthy. Phương Anh Đào manifests the inner turmoil of a woman trapped in a difficult life scenario, yearning for love in her 40s.
Previously, Trấn Thành revealed that he searched for the actor to play Mai for two years, and Tuấn Trần was the ideal choice. After the film screening, many experts praised the film during the press event, agreeing with the overall narrative.
In this cinematic endeavor, Phương Anh Đào successfully portrays a character with deep emotional layers, showcasing complex psychological struggles and navigating through various conflicts. This time, Phương Anh Đào and Tuấn Trần are “the stars” in the film produced by director Trấn Thành for the Tet season.
Under the pressure of portraying Tuấn Trần, the character exhibits humor and emotional depth as love faces division. The actor is praised for his authenticity, especially when compared to Quân (from The Old Man) and Út Lục Lâm (from Southern Land).
Continuing to embody the role of Tuấn Trần, director Trấn Thành acknowledged that he didn’t cast him solely because of familiarity.
“The audience will see that I chose Tuấn Trần because Dương had to be Tuấn Trần. The character completely matched this role. I also wanted to pick someone else for the character, but in the end, it had to be Tuấn Trần,” the actor stated.
Trấn Thành confirmed that the film he produces, with him starring as the lead, will not resemble his previous roles. In the future, if the character fits well, he may collaborate again with Tuấn Trần, but the role will definitely be entirely different.
Appearing at the morning press conference, both Tuấn Trần and Phương Anh Đào expressed their excitement as they had not seen the film yet. The reason for this, Trấn Thành mentioned, was that he wanted the lead actors to experience the film alongside the audience and observe their reactions during the screening.
Mai will premiere on February 10 (the first day of Tet Giáp Thìn). This will be Trấn Thành’s first film where he plays the role of a director and is also the producer. The film has a budget of approximately 50 billion VND.
“This is a significant project in the realm of psychological films, reflecting emotions,” Trấn Thành noted.
Competing in the Tet film landscape are Mai (Trấn Thành), Trà (Lê Hoàng), Cua Lại Chìm Bầu (Nhật Trung), and Sáng Đèn (Hoàng Tuấn Cường).
